Category Archives: Natural History

madartavlat.png

Cover Story in Madártávlat Magazine: Laysan Albatrosses

My picture of the Laysan Albatross covers the summer issue of Madártávlat magazine. Madártávlat (Bird’s Eye View) is a Hungarian birding magazine published by the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (MME). I also have […]

Continue reading »
GR_140220_5944_amakihi-1500x1000.jpg

Hawaiian Honeycreepers – Oahu Amakihi

Several million years ago a single finch species arrived to the Hawaiian Islands and one of the most amazing stories in the natural world has begun. The ancestral bird diverged into more than 50 different […]

Continue reading »
GR_140130_5818_chameleon-1500x1000.jpg

Jackson’s Chameleon in the Koolau Mountains – Hawaii

Hawaii has no native herpetofauna other than marine turtles, but there are many introduced reptiles that have established breeding populations on the islands. The problem with these nonnative animals is that Hawaii’s native species have […]

Continue reading »
GR_121119_2049_laysan-albatross-1500x1000.jpg

Same-sex pairing in Laysan Albatross in Hawaii

Same-sex couples are common in the wild. Today, more than 1000 animal species are known to practice various forms of same-sex behavior. These relationships, of course cannot directly produce offsprings so this behavior is often […]

Continue reading »
GR_131125_5453_hawaiian-monk-seal-1500x1000.jpg

Young Hawaiian Monk Seal at Kaena Point – Hawaii

When I go to Kaena Point (Oahu, Hawaii) for working with the Laysan Albatross, like I did last week, I cannot resist visiting the favorite resting place of the Hawaiian Monk Seal. I love this […]

Continue reading »
GR_090918_8145_chipmunk-1500x1000.jpg

Eastern Chipmunk in North America

Small rodents are one of my favorite animals. I was lucky to research a very interesting species in Hungary during my university studies and I wrote my MSc thesis about the unique mound building behavior […]

Continue reading »
GR-kaena-point-1-1500x965.jpg

New Article in Természetbúvár Magazine: Kaena Point, Hawaii

My article about the natural history of Kaena Point has been published in the latest issue of TermészetBÚVÁR magazine. TermészetBÚVÁR (means Naturalist) is one of the most popular ecological magazines in Hungary. This popular science […]

Continue reading »
GR_130807_4676_Kaena-Point-1500x1000.jpg

Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve – Hawaii

Kaena Point is my favorite place on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It is the refuge of many rare animals, such as the Laysan Albatross, the Hawaiian Noddy and the Hawaiian Monk Seal. I’ve […]

Continue reading »
GR_110830_0434_hummingbird-1500x1000.jpg

Climate change leads to changes in the migration patterns of birds

Over the last decades, the global climate has been changing faster than ever before. Not surprisingly, the changes in climate may lead to changes in species. For instance, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) responses to […]

Continue reading »
GR_070607_4684_white-stork-1500x1000.jpg

The White Stork as a seed-spreading bird in Europe

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) builds one of the largest nests in the bird world. These huge nests are often used as nesting places by other birds or even small rodents. These kind of organisms […]

Continue reading »
GR_100821_9708_humpback-whale-1500x1000.jpg

Humans responsible for most whale deaths in the Atlantic Ocean

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population in the Atlantic Ocean were seriously decreased as a result of intense hunting during the 19th and the early 20th centuries. In 1946, the International Whaling Commission banned commercial […]

Continue reading »
GR_0401_guzueger-1500x1019.jpg

The mound building behavior of the Steppe Mouse in Hungary

The steppe mouse or mound-builder mouse (Mus spicilegus) is an endemic species to South-East Europe and it is a widespread rodent in Hungary. Its Hungarian name is güzüegér. The steppe mouse occupies in various grassland […]

Continue reading »
janos-balogh-ecologist1.jpg

In Memory of János Balogh

János Balogh was born 100 years ago today. He was a Hungarian ecologist who led numerous expeditions around the world, and for me, he was one of the reasons I became a biologist. When I […]

Continue reading »
GR_080523_0021_bee-eater-1500x1000.jpg

European Bee-eater – Bird of the Year in Hungary

The bird of the year has been elected each year in Hungary since 1979 by the Hungarian Ornithological Society. In 2013, the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) has won this title. The European Bee-eater is a […]

Continue reading »
GR_121119_1798_laysan-albatross-1500x1000.jpg

Laysan Albatross at Kaena Point – Hawaii

I moved to Hawaii in 2012. In November, I started a project of studying and documenting the breeding life of the Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) at Kaena Point (on the island of Oahu). The Laysan […]

Continue reading »